As a ThreeSixty Journalism alumni and current college student with interests in social media and photography, I leaped at the opportunity of photographing the Timberwolves game and the chance of getting a behind the scenes look.
My first takeaway was meeting Jerry Zgoda, a Star Tribune sport journalist, who shared with us his work experience and great advice on growing up and the world we may experience.
As we headed down the escalators to the restricted access at Target Center, I couldn’t wait to see what was going on underneath all the cheers, crowd and excitement. When the game began, we were seated at the press section, which gave us a good view of the game and a great opportunity to witness the social media strategist and journalists in front of us.
I was quickly absorbed in the digital media world surrounding me by the social media team. In front of me was a blog writer who was using GIFs to tell the story of the game. I thought that was remarkable and witty, and it certainly piqued my interest! Seeing that also helped me discover the wide range of careers that are present in the NBA.
During halftime, we walked back to the media room, where we were greeted with fresh marble cake and light snacks. While the cake was rich, the conversation was richer. The Timberwolves staff welcomed us in and although we were guests, we felt very comfortable being there. We took a few photos to monument this experience and headed back to watch the rest of the game.
While things began wrapping up, it seemed obvious to all of us that the Timberwolves were going to win this one. We then walked towards the conference rooms, which allowed us to get an idea of what questions sport journalists typically ask to help write their articles.
This experience not only helped me get the insight of what a real sport journalist would work like, but it also taught me about the definition of work and how subjective it really was.
My overall takeaway is the game of basketball doesn’t only consist of basketball players and a referee. There are many different people working behind the scenes to make sure families at home and people all over the country can enjoy a game they love.
Louisa Akoto is graphic design and communication studies major at Augsburg University